


The One Where Sokka is Constantly Distracted

by thefiresfromheaven



Series: Zukka Omega!Verse [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alpha Sokka, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anal Sex, Bath time shenanigans, M/M, Omega Verse, Omega Zuko, Sort of consent issues, heat - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-07-20 00:43:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7384219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefiresfromheaven/pseuds/thefiresfromheaven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sokka tilts his head back, staring up at the sky and refusing to meet Zuko's gaze. It's definitely because the stars are very pretty and not because looking at Zuko kind of makes him want to curl up in a ball and die. “If someone was captured by the Fire Nation, where would they be taken?”</p><p>     He's going to rescue them. He's going to save all of the people that he failed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Wtf is wrong with my brain. Go to sleep you idiot.

Something has been bothering Sokka. It would have started bothering him earlier, but things had been happening so fast. Zuko had appeared just hours after they'd arrived at the Western Air Temple, and then Combustion Man right after him. And then Aang and Zuko had left to learn more about fire bending, and then the _incredible awkwardness _that had ensued directly after their return (which Sokka is trying his very best not to think about at all because it makes his chest hurt). Now, though, nothing is happening and everything is calm-ish (for once) and it's _really _starting to get to him.____

____Zuko makes an attempt at a joke, and everyone laughs more at his awkwardness than the failed joke. Sokka cracks a small smile, just out of habit, but his mind is far away._ _ _ _

____At this point (and he's had a few days to think it over) there's really no getting around it. The invasion of the Fire Nation failed and it's pretty much his fault. The plan was his, the decision to stay when things started going downhill was his, and there's no one else he can assign any kind of blame to. It's all on his shoulders. All of the people who had come when asked, all the brave Earth Nation and Water Tribe people who had come to their aid had been captured because of his bad command decisions. Haru's dad, the Foggy Swamp benders, the Kyoshi Warriors, Suki, his own _father _. And it's his fault.___ _ _ _

______Abruptly, he straightens, a decision reached. He steps closer to the circle around the fire and makes a gesture to get Zuko's attention. “Hey, can I talk to you for a second?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Zuko nods and sets down the tray he's been holding. Sokka starts walking, away from the fire and into the cool night air. Zuko follows, jogging a little to catch up._ _ _ _ _ _

______“So what's up?” he asks when he's beside Sokka, watching him out of the corner of his eye._ _ _ _ _ _

______Sokka tilts his head back, staring up at the sky and refusing to meet Zuko's gaze. It's definitely because the stars are very pretty and not because looking at Zuko kind of makes him want to curl up in a ball and die. “If someone was captured by the Fire Nation, where would they be taken?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______He's going to rescue them. He's going to save all of the people that he failed._ _ _ _ _ _

______* * *_ _ _ _ _ _

______Sokka, after much begging, manages to get the location of the prison that the invasion force is most likely to be at from Zuko. Boiling Rock, located in a volcano about halfway between the fire nation and the Temple. He assures Zuko that he will definitely not be trying to break his friends out of the prison by himself and yeah, sure, he feels kind of bad for lying to the guy. Not bad enough to stop, of course, but there's definitely a not-so-nice squirmy feeling in his stomach._ _ _ _ _ _

______He waits until everyone else is asleep. Even Katara, usually a night person, is asleep by the time he slips out of his sleeping bag and grabs his things. He tiptoes through the camp, past all of his sleeping friends to where Appa is sleeping, sprawled out on his stomach. Luckily, his saddle is still on so it should be easy to fly out of here. He grabs hold of the edge of the saddle, shushing the bison when he snorts and starts to wake up. He's really not paying attention to anything else except trying to keep quiet, but he does get a whiff of honey-and-fire just an instant before Zuko speaks up._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Not up to anything, huh?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Sokka squeaks and falls backwards, landing on his ass and dropping his satchel on the ground. Luckily, nothing spills out or clatters around, so no one in the camp wakes up._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Fine.” he hisses, glaring up at the fire bender when he leans out over the edge of the saddle to look at him. “You caught me. I'm gonna rescue my dad. You happy now?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“I'm never happy,” Zuko snaps back, and that makes Sokka pause, makes his shoulders hunch and makes a growl start to build up in his chest. There's just something so _wrong _about that. Zuko's such a pretty, _sweet _Omega, he should always be happy, and- _no, nope, bad Sokka, we said we weren't going to do this again. _________ _ _ _ _

____________“I…” Sokka swallows hard and tries to get himself back on track. “Look, I have to do this. The invasion plan was my idea. It was my decision to stay when things were going wrong. It's my mistake and it's my job to fix it.” Zuko slides off of Appa, landing easily on his feet and Sokka stands, meeting his eyes. “I have to regain my honor.” And okay, yes, maybe he's cheating a little, using that silly little word that Zuko has always been so obsessed with, but he has to go, and if Zuko really tries to stop him, he's not sure he can win. If it was just his fire bending he had to worry about then maybe he could beat him, especially now that he has some actual training under his belt. Now, though, he also has to worry about whether Zuko's scent (which always seems stronger during a confrontation) will effect him, and if it does, what will he do this time? He'd rather throw himself off the edge of the Temple than push himself on Zuko again, but then all the people he abandoned won't get rescued, so he's kind of in a pickle._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Zuko doesn't try to stop him. He just gets this determined look on his face and nods. “Trust me, I get it. But I'm going with you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Sokka tries to stop him, he really does, but he doesn't have much time for arguments and Zuko makes some really good points. He knows more about the prison than Sokka does, and he also has a war balloon, which is a lot more convenient than a flying bison. In the end, Sokka just gives up, and they creep quietly away from the group to the place where his balloon is hidden._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________* * *_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Sokka is pretty sure that he's going to die._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Thing is, he didn't really think this through. The bringing Zuko with part, that is. Because the war balloons are designed to fly using heat from flames (which is ideal for fire benders, of course), and the person bending the fire is supposed to stand at the helm of the little airship, and any passengers are seated at the tail end. Which would be fine under normal circumstances, with any other passengers. As it is, Sokka is seated downwind of Zuko, and he's pretty much getting blasted in the face by pure honey-and-fire scent. It really doesn't help that ever since The Incident (which is what Sokka is now calling the thing where he almost raped Zuko) Sokka has been avoiding Zuko like a plague, and has been taking special care to at least stay upwind of him so that there isn't even a chance of another Incident. The immense downside of this plan is that it means he's feeling especially vulnerable to even the tiniest whiff of Zuko's scent, and now it's everywhere and there's literally no way to get away from it unless he wants to jump off of the balloon into the water below, which he really doesn't._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________So._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________He's going to die. Or jump Zuko, which is just as bad because then he really _will _have to throw himself into the ocean. He's trying to deal with the problem by scrunching himself up in a ball and hiding his stupid boner and thinking as many unsexy thoughts as he can (Gran Gran taking a bath, that time Appa sneezed on him, those frogs he and Katara had to suck on when they were sick). It's sort of working, but he's not sure how long he can keep it up because his stupid brain keeps getting distracted by those little side-eyed glances Zuko keeps shooting his way. Also the way Zuko twists his wrist every time he shoots fire out of his hand, which is sexual in a way Sokka can't even begin to understand, and there's that little glance again, pretty golden eyes flashing over him for a just a second.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Sokka, for lack of more distracting things to do, starts whistling to himself._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“What?” Zuko turns and looks at him head on, looking puzzled and super fucking cute, like a polar bear dog puppy who's just discovering snow for the first time._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“I didn't say anything,” Sokka says quickly, squirming into a new position to try and accommodate his aching dick. He pauses, casting about for something else to say, anything to keep up the verbal exchange so that Zuko doesn't go back to glancing at him like that. “You know, a friend of mine actually designed these war balloons.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“No kidding.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Yep. A balloon. But for war.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Zuko turns back to the burner and shoots another blast of fire into it, looking pensive. “If there's one thing my dad is good at, it's war.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Yeah, seems to run in the family,” Sokka mutters, thoughts drifting to Zuko's crazy-ass sister. He vaguely wonders what she is. Beta? Alpha?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Hey, not everyone in my family is like that, you know,” Zuko says rather sharply, and aw, shit, Sokka really didn't think about that one._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“No, I know, I know, you've changed,” he says quickly, waving his hands placating. “I didn't mean-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Zuko shakes his head and waves him off. “I meant my Uncle. He was more of a Father to me. And I really let him down.” His teeth catch at his lower lip and he looks so achingly sad that Sokka's first instinct is to cuddle him better. He restrains himself._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“I think you Uncle would have been proud of you,” he says quietly, trying to put as much sincerity and warmth into his voice as he can. “Leaving your home to come help us? That must have been hard.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________The fire bender gives a humorless laugh, shrugging his shoulders a little. “It wasn't that hard.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Really? You didn't leave behind anyone you cared about?” Obviously he doesn't miss his dad (probably not his psycho sister either, actually, and he's figured out by now that his mother isn't around) but surely he'd had friends?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________The corners of Zuko's mouth twitch with the beginnings of a smile, like he's remembering something fondly. “Well, I did have a girlfriend. Mai.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Sokka misses whatever Zuko says next because he can't hear anything over the roaring sound in his ears and the internal brain chant of _Mine, Mine, Mine! _that he has going on. There's also that nice primal Alpha instinct telling him to lay a physical claim on the Omega so the bitch who thinks he can be hers will see that he belongs to _Sokka _, that he's got an Alpha who will actually-_____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Sokka?” Zuko pokes tentatively at his shoulder, eyes narrowed in concern. “You okay? You look upset.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Sokka hunches his shoulders and takes a nice, deep, calming breath. For once he's glad of the heady effect of Zuko's scent (it's all around him now, almost choking him) since it's making him lightheaded enough that it's easy to distance himself from the anger- from the burning rage that's threatening to spill over the edges of his consciousness._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Yep.” He breathes out slowly, inhales, gets a nose full of honey-and-fire. “I'm fine. I think I just ate something weird. What were you saying?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Zuko looks dubious, but he doesn't press the issue. “…I was saying that Mai is one of the only non-family members who knows about me. Well, besides all of you now.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Is she an Alpha?” Sokka asks, trying to keep up polite conversation (even though he really doesn't want to know the answer). Zuko moves away from him, back to the burner, and builds up the flames again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“No, she's a Beta.” Some of the tension in Sokka's body exits with his silent breath of relief._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Oh, cool,” he says, as casually as he can manage. “That's cool.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Zuko makes a noncommittal humming noise and does that little wrist twist and shoots another hot flame from his hand. Sokka leans back and just watches him and breathes, trying to stay calm and not Alpha-possessive. It's a lot harder than he thinks it should be, but eventually he reaches some sort of internal compromise and just basks in Zuko's perfect scent without feeling to angry at absent threats or feeling like he's completely losing his mind. It's nice. So nice, in fact, that he drifts off into a dreamless sleep, and when he wakes he feels more rested than he's felt in months. Apparently, the best way to get a good night's rest is to sleep surrounded by a sweet Omega-scent._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Sokka,” Zuko calls softly. He's leaning over the edge of the basket, looking at something. “Sokka, there it is.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Sokka is on his feet in an instant, joining Zuko, and there it is indeed, a smoking volcano, rising up out of the ocean. They're here._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka just about blows their cover when Zuko and Chit Sang (the stupid fucking Alpha prisoner) start going at it. And yes, it's obviously staged, so obviously acted out, and no one gets hurt, but Chit Sang is _touching Zuko _, and the only thing that stops Sokka from immediately running out their and beating the shit out of the Alpha is that Suki is _physically holding him back. _____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to edit this real quick but then I realized that it's just shy of 4500 words long and gave up on life.

Sokka is definitely not worried about Zuko.

It's been over an hour since they were forced to separate when Sokka (who was disguised in a Boiling Rock guard's uniform) had been picked out of a group of guards to help escort a “rowdy” prisoner to what basically amounted to fire bender solitary confinement hell. He'd managed to whisper to Zuko (also disguised as a guard) that they should meet in the prison yard in an hour. It's now been at least a quarter of an hour more than that and Zuko hasn't showed and Sokka is panicking.

Okay, so maybe he's a little worried.

Sokka leans against the rail, looking down on the prison yard and the prisoners in it, but not really seeing them. If Zuko doesn't show up in the next few minutes, he's going to-

“Hey there, fellow guard. How goes it?” A whiff of honey-and-fire, fainter than usual and hidden under a layer of nervous sweat.

“Zuko?” Sokka turns quickly, raising his visor. He prays that his voice doesn't betray the absolute relief that he's feeling right now.

Zuko shushes him and raises his own visor. “Listen, I asked around the lounge. There are no Water Tribe prisoners.” He bites his lip and shifts his gaze away. “I'm afraid your father isn't here.”

“What?” Sokka breathes, furrowing his brow. He'd been so sure… “Are you sure? Did you double check?”

The Omega looks genuinely upset. “I'm so sorry, Sokka.”

“No...” Sokka mumbles, and he feels even more defeated than he'd felt the day of the invasion. He wraps his hands around the railing, squeezing it tight, and shuts his eyes.“We came all this way for nothing. I failed. Again.”

Zuko's hand settles over his (and his skin is hot and ridiculously soft) and he squeezes gently. Sokka cracks his eyes open, peeking at the fire bender. He still isn't quite looking at him, is instead looking down at their hands, and his expression is hesitant and shy and for a moment he seems like he's going to pull back, but instead he stokes his thumb over Sokka's wrist, like he's trying to get him to loosen his death grip on the handrail. Sokka doesn't let go of the railing exactly, but Zuko is so horribly cute that he can't help but relax a little and the Omega seems to pleased by his accomplishment that Sokka can't help but crack a smile, which he turns his head to the side to hide so that he doesn't embarrass the fire bender.

That's when he sees her, seated in the prison yard and looking generally bored with life.

“Suki!” he exclaims, drawing away from Zuko to lean over the rail and get a better look, and yes, it's definitely her. “Suki is here! Maybe this trip isn't a complete failure after all.”

In his excitement, he misses the crestfallen look on Zuko's face and the way that his scent sours a little.

* * *

It takes Sokka awhile to figure out where Suki's cell is, but as soon as he does he sneaks off to visit her. Zuko comes with him (he seems oddly resistant to the idea, but Sokka dismisses it) and stands guard at the door while he goes inside.

She nearly decks him when he tries to pull her into a hug, but luckily he manages to get his visor up before her punches start to land and she recognizes him.

“Sokka!” she cries, and suddenly he's got an armful soft Omega female. He hugs her back tightly, grinning happily, and she clings to him like it's been a decade since they've seen each other. He nuzzles against her cheek, scenting her out of habit, and he's oddly disappointed to find that she doesn't smell nearly as sweet as she used to, like there's something missing from her scent that should definitely be there. He pulls away, lets her go, absolutely baffled by the strange realization.

“You smell weird,” Suki says, wrinkling her nose delicately and eying him up and down with a suspicious expression.

“So do you,” he replies defensively, crossing his arms over his chest. “Anyways, where are the other Kyoshi Warriors? Are they here?”

Suki shakes her head, frowning pensively. “No. I don't know where they are. They locked me up here because I'm the leader..” She looks terribly small and vulnerable, Sokka notes, He doesn't like it. She might be an Omega, but Suki has always had such a commanding presence, and to see her looking so beaten down makes him uncomfortable. He moves closer again, cradles her face in his palms.

“You won't be here for long. I'm busting you out.”

She smiles with the warmth of a small sun and cups her delicate hands over his. “I'm so glad to see you, Sokka. I knew you'd come.” She leans closer, parting her lips a little, and Sokka knows that she's going to kiss him, and he leans in too, out of habit, but his gut is wrenching horribly at the thought of kissing her and he jerks back, clenching his teeth together to keep from throwing up.

“Sokka?” she whispers, looking hurt and concerned at the same time. She twines her fingers through his, and even that makes him feel a little nauseous.

“Um, we shouldn't,” he says quickly, scrambling for some reason, for any excuse that will explain his off behavior. “It's… it's too dangerous right now. I don't have enough time.”

She arches an incredulous eyebrow and purses her lips, seems about to speak, but a sudden bang against the cell door startles them and they both drop into a crouch. There's a guard (not Zuko, Sokka knows) pressed against the metal door, struggling, and Sokka mouths a few choice curses to himself. Then the guard is gone, but he can hear a struggle outside of the door, and he knows, he just knows- it's Zuko, he's trying to give him a few more seconds so he won't be caught, and he can't waste that.

He stands, peeks out of the slit of a window. Zuko has the other guard pinned to the ground, facing away from the door, and he knows this will probably be his only chance. He opens the door and slips out (thank the Spirits for well-oiled hinges) and begins to creep away, praying that he doesn't get noticed.

He gets noticed. And just a moment later, he's leading Zuko away in a tight grip, trying his best to look angry (which isn't that hard, since he is angry that they got caught and he has to do this) while at the same time whispering reassurances in Zuko's ear.

* * *

Sokka feels sick. Now, not only has he failed to rescue his father, but he's also gotten Zuko captured. He has to get Zuko (and Suki) out of here as quickly as possible, has to make sure that the two Omegas are safe. Every Alpha bone in his body is thrumming with a tense energy, but luckily he can channel all of that into making an escape plan. It takes some time, but he finally comes up with the perfect plan. After double checking all of his calculations, he sets off in search of Zuko and Suki.

As luck would have it, he finds them together, mopping an area of the prison floor. “Oh good, you two have met,” he says, bouncing a little on his toes to get rid of some of his energy.

“Actually, we met a long time ago,” Suki says sourly, and Sokka has never seen anyone mop so angrily in his life. “He kind of burned my village down.” Which- duh. Spirits, Sokka is an idiot.

Zuko flinches. “Oh. Sorry about that. It's… nice to see you again.” By his scent, Sokka knows he feels anything but pleased to see Suki again, but they don't have time for him to figure out why.

“So listen, I think I have an escape plan..” He motions for them to gather round and they set their mops down and crouch down on the floor with him. He begins to explain what he's found out, about how the coolers are insulated against the heat of the boiling lake and will make a perfect boat, and about how there's a blind spot between guard towers that they can use to their advantage.

“It'll take us straight across,” he concludes. “As long as we don't make a sound, no one will notice.”

Suki frowns, tipping her head back and getting that contemplative look on her face that she gets when she's running scenarios through her head. Sokka has always loved that look. “How are you going to get the cooler out?”

“Yeah, how are you going to get the cooler out?” The voice that speaks above them is deep and only slightly familiar, and when the man jumps down from the stairs and lands beside them Sokka recognizes him as the prisoner that he'd had to help put in the cooler yesterday.

Sokka starts panicking a little. “What?” He waves his hands in a dismissive gesture. “We didn't say that.”

“You heard wrong,” Zuko says, his voice cool and dismissive, and man, Sokka is really appreciating that voice. It makes him feel kind of tingly and proud, which he doesn't really get?

“I heard you hatching an escape plan,” the man insists, leaning forward to stare them down. Sokka subtly scents the air to get a feel for the guy. Alpha (no surprise, the guy is huge), pretty aggressive, but he smells mated and is, therefore, almost no threat at all, not unless they try to hurt his mate.

“No you didn't,” Zuko insists in that same cold voice. It's very princely, Sokka decides, exactly the kind of voice that one would use to order servants around.

“Yes, I did,” the Alpha prisoner says, voice growing deeper and eyes flashing. Sokka straightens, instinctively trying to make himself appear bigger so he can get this asshole to back off of his- of Zuko. “I want in on your plan,” the man continues, focused mostly on Sokka (he clearly thinks he's the biggest threat, since he obviously has no idea how good Suki is at hand to hand combat), “Or else the Warden is going to hear about this.”

Sokka lets out a growl. Just a little one, but it's enough to get the man to bare his teeth in response and he can just feel the Alpha pheromones ramping up. Luckily, Suki is there to calm him down, laying a hand on his arm and sending a wash of her scent over him (pines and damp earth and just a hint of sugar glaze, and it's somehow off and wrong-smelling, but still effective). He chokes back his growl and sits back on his heels and the other Alpha smirks.

“Fine,” he grits out. “Whatever.” He takes a moment to gather himself before he continues explaining his plan.

“We'll need someone to unbolt the cooler from the inside.” He pulls a wrench out of his shirt and balances it on his palm, biting his lip. He doesn't like this part of the plan, but it has to be done. He turns to Zuko and holds the tool out to him. “You're the only one they'd put in there, since none of us are fire benders.” He pauses and sends a glare towards their new group member. “Well, you're the only fire bender I trust.”

Zuko leans forward and grabs the wrench, sliding it into his own shirt. “Right. I can do that.”

“And I can get you inside,” the Alpha prisoner says with a grin that Sokka really doesn't like.

* * *

Sokka just about blows their cover when Zuko and Chit Sang (the stupid fucking Alpha prisoner) start going at it. And yes, it's obviously staged, so obviously acted out, and no one gets hurt, but Chit Sang is _touching Zuko _, and the only thing that stops Sokka from immediately running out their and beating the shit out of the Alpha is that Suki is _physically holding him back _. By the end of the sham fight he wants to drag Chit Sang out of the room and throw him into the boiling lake, but that's apparently not an option right now, so he instead takes Zuko (gently, carefully, because he's a sweet, good Omega who needs to be protected) to the cooler and pushes (read: gently nudges) him in, with a gruff promise to, “be back later, you prisoner scum.”____

____He's been restless ever since, and his hands are shaking when he releases Suki and Chit Sang (and his mate, who he'd insisted on bringing along) from their cells. He almost runs on his way to the cooler to release Zuko, but not quite since he doesn't want to alert any of the other guards to their plan. As soon as he reaches the doors (double sealed to keep the cold in) he's fumbling to pull them open as quickly as possible, praying that Zuko hasn't actually been hurt by the exposure to the cold._ _ _ _

____The Omega is shivering and he doesn't lift his head when he opens the second door, not until Sokka speaks, asking if he's “learned his lesson.”_ _ _ _

____“Yes, I have,” he replies and he raises his head and oh man, the expression on his face. He looks self-satisfied and very smug, and he, oh Spirits, when he breaths out there's fire and steam and Sokka has never seen something so hot in his life. He almost misses the part where Zuko unfolds his arms to show him the collection of nuts and bolts he'd removed from the cooler while inside of it. “Completely.”_ _ _ _

____“Good job,” he whispers, grinning and lifting the visor of his helmet. “See? Knew I could trust you with this job. No one else would have been able to get it done.”_ _ _ _

____Zuko's cheeks go pink and his smile turns into a pleased, preening little thing that make's Sokka's stomach squirm like it's full of butterfly bees._ _ _ _

____“I let the others out of their cells already,” he continues, and he just can't stop smiling and looking at Zuko. “So all we need to do is-”_ _ _ _

____Zuko goes stiff all of a sudden, cocking his head, and then he grab's Sokka's arm and yanks him inside the cell, swiftly pulling the door shut behind him. “Someone's coming,” he hisses when Sokka starts to protest, and he goes instantly silent and they both listen intently. After a moment of focusing, Sokka can hear the sound of a pair of footsteps approaching from a little way up the corridor, and the faint sound of voices, but he's also preoccupied by Zuko's sudden closeness. More than that, he's preoccupied with the fact that the Omega is almost scentless now, and if he didn't know any better he'd think he was just a Beta. Zuko has mentioned before that he knows how to hide his Omega scent, but Sokka has never really thought about it all that much. It kind of bothers him, if he's being honest._ _ _ _

____The guards who are walking the halls come into hearing range. “New arrivals coming in at dawn,” says a man's voice, and Sokka creeps up to the door so he can peer out. Two guards, one male and one female, and neither seem to have heard anything suspicious._ _ _ _

____“Anybody interesting?” the woman asks, eyes on her partner._ _ _ _

____“Nah, just the usual.” They're about to pass by and Sokka watches them carefully for any sign of trouble. “Some robbers, couple of traitors, some war prisoners.” Sokka's whole body goes stiff and still, and he can feel Zuko pressing closer to him, eying him. “I heard there might be a pirate though.” The guards pass out of range._ _ _ _

____Sokka leans against the door, and he's shaking. Prisoners of war, the guard had said. That could mean his dad! His dad might be coming to the Boiling Rock tomorrow morning, which means he still has a chance to right his wrongs._ _ _ _

____But at the same time… the Fire Nation has been at war for a century, and they have a lot of enemies, which means a lot of prisoners of war. It might not be his dad, and if he stays to find out he would be putting everything at risk._ _ _ _

____“Sokka.” Zuko touches his arm gently, presses their sides together, his pretty golden eyes scanning his face. “War prisoners. That could mean your dad.”_ _ _ _

____Is he willing to risk Zuko? Spirits only know when the Warden will decide to call Zuko's dad (Sokka absolutely will not let him go back to that asshole), and he doesn't like how badly the sweet Omega is treated in this prison._ _ _ _

____“What do we do Sokka? Do we go ahead with the plan, or are we waiting for another night?” Sokka squeezes his eyes shut, clenches a hand into a fist. Zuko is trusting him, trusting in his instincts and his ability to see clearly. He can't let him down. But… his dad._ _ _ _

____“I don't know,” he mumbles, feeling trapped and confused by his own feelings. Stay or go? “Is is right for me to risk your freedom, Suki's freedom, on the slim chance that my dad is gonna show up?”_ _ _ _

____Zuko is silent for a moment, and then he squeezes Sokka's arm gently and does that thing where he rubs the pad of his thumb soothingly over Sokka's skin (he's really starting to love that, and it might become a problem). “It's your call Sokka,” he says quietly, his voice full of trust and reassurance. “I'll follow you wherever you go.”_ _ _ _

____* * *_ _ _ _

____In the end, Sokka stays. Suki and Zuko's overwhelming show of support helps fortify his resolve, and in the end, Chit Sang and his mate (and his best friend, where did he even come from?) take the cooler-boat and float off towards freedom. Zuko and Suki stay with him (he begs them to go with, but they're both stubborn in a way that only Omegas can be and he can't really stop them)._ _ _ _

____The plan fails, incidentally. Sokka and the others are sneaking back into the compound when they hear a pained scream (Chit Sang probably burned himself, the idiot) and alarms start to sound throughout the prison. Minutes after that, the gondola to the prison starts to move, and Sokka feels like he's going to puke._ _ _ _

____“This is it,” he mutters. “If my dad's not here, we risked everything for nothing.”_ _ _ _

____“We had to,” Suki says grimly, and Zuko touches Sokka's arm gently. They all watch the gondola with tense anticipation, watch as it docks at the prison and as prisoners start walking off. Sokka's hope fades more and more with each man who walks off of the transport._ _ _ _

____“He's not here,” he mutters as the flow of new prisoners begins to slow, and he can feel tears pricking at the corners of his eyes._ _ _ _

____Just as he's about to give up all hope of ever finding his dad and of of ever leaving this stupid place, one of the guards by the gondola barks something at someone still inside, and his dad walks calmly out, looking as proud and strong as he did the last time that Sokka saw him. And just like that he can feel his hope returning and he smiles a little._ _ _ _

____“Dad.”_ _ _ _

____* * *_ _ _ _

____The reunion with his dad is exactly as sweet as he'd hoped it would be. His dad almost punches him, and then there's hugging and maybe some wet eyes (not that either of them will ever admit to it)._ _ _ _

____The first thing that comes out of his dad's mouth when they step apart again is definitely not what Sokka expects it to be._ _ _ _

____“You reek of Omega,” he says, arching an eyebrow and somehow managing to communicate curiosity, confusion, and fatherly disapproval all in that one motion. “Is there something that you need to tell me, son?”_ _ _ _

____“What?” Sokka sniffs himself but he doesn't think that he smells any different than usual._ _ _ _

____Hakoda shakes his head. “Never mind. But what are you doing here, Sokka?”_ _ _ _

____“Looking for you, actually. Where's everyone else from the invasion? They weren't with you on the gondola.”_ _ _ _

____“Ah.” Hakoda sits back down, sighing heavily. “The others are being held at a Fire Nation prison near the palace. They singled me out as the leader and sent me here. But before I left I met some young women who said they knew you. The… Yoshinama Fighters?”_ _ _ _

____“You mean the Kyoshi Warriors?” Sokka asks, perking up a bit. His dad nods and he grins. “Their leader Suki is here. She's going to escape with us.”_ _ _ _

____“That's good,” his dad says, nodding his head. “We'll need all the help we can get.”_ _ _ _

____And speaking of help- “There's someone else. Do you know Prince Zuko?” Hakoda frowns, nods. “Well he's here too.”_ _ _ _

____His dad does that eyebrow thing again, and this time he mostly just looks concerned. “You say that like it's a good thing.”_ _ _ _

____“He's on our side now,” Sokka rushes to reassure him, feeling oddly protective of Zuko. “He's teaching Aang fire bending, actually. And he's really proven himself since he joined us. I… I trust him with my life.” And he'll stand by those words, even if his dad opposes him. Zuko has most definitely earned his trust and he's never been one to abandon a friend._ _ _ _

____Hakoda's frown deepens and he watches Sokka for a minute, then nods his head. “Okay. I trust your judgment. So what's the plan for getting out of here?”_ _ _ _

____“I… don't exactly have one right now. We had one, but it didn't work out.” Sokka briefly explains what had happened and his dad nods along, looking thoughtful. “So I'm not sure what to do now,” he ends lamely, shoulders slumping._ _ _ _

____His dad stands and places a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Don't worry. There's not a prison in the world that can hold two Water Tribe geniuses.”_ _ _ _

____* * *_ _ _ _

____The plan that they come up with is absolutely crazy, and it just might work. They're going to start a prison riot, grab the Warden and take him hostage, and then take the gondola out over the lake and to the other side. It's simple, but perfect, as long as they can pull it all off. Sokka relates the plan to Zuko, then heads to Suki's cell to let her know. He's worried about Zuko and why the Warden wants to see him now of all times, but he has bigger things to worry about when several guards ambush him and haul him off to a lineup of all things._ _ _ _

____When Chit Sang (the bastard) steps out with the Warden, Sokka is sure that he is toast. They're all going to rot in this Fire Nation prison for the rest of their lives. But the unthinkable happens when Chit Sang (maybe not so much of a bastard?) points to a completely different man and says that he's the imposter. As the protesting man is dragged away, Sokka recognizes him as the guard who had been bullying the Alpha prisoner in the yard on the first day, and he can't help but smirk a little because apparently there really is justice in the world._ _ _ _

____Everything continues to go well until they're all gathered in the prison yard and suddenly Sokka realizes that Zuko is nowhere to be found. He lifts his head and scents the air, trying to catch a whiff of the Omega in the crowd of prisoners, but he can't smell him anywhere (Spirits, if only he wasn't hiding his scent!) and Sokka begins to panic, and then to get angry. If someone took Zuko away, he's going to-_ _ _ _

____A heavy hand touches his shoulder and he snarls and whirls around, raring for a fight, for a physical threat to throw himself at, but it's just Chit Sang (definitely a bastard), and he wants in again on their escape plan. As if Sokka would ever let someone so clumsy and stupid (and Zuko is still nowhere to be seen or smelt) in on this plan-_ _ _ _

____But his dad is still calm enough to obtain Chit Sang's help in starting a riot, which he does with frightening ease. They push their way through the rioting crowd (Sokka is so, so angry, he's radiating aggression, and it clears a path through the rioters) and to the base of the main tower, and then he sees Zuko, punching a guard out before running straight for them._ _ _ _

____“Thank the Spirits you're okay,” he breathes. He still can't smell Zuko, not hidden away like he is, and certainly not with all of the other aggressive scents all around them now, but seeing him is enough. Zuko flashes him a weak smile (too weak, something must be wrong, but Sokka will worry about that more once they're safe) and joins their little group._ _ _ _

____“How are we going to get the Warden?” Zuko asks, sounding a little out of breath._ _ _ _

____“Uhh.” Sokka flushes and shrugs his shoulders. “I'm not sure.”_ _ _ _

____Zuko looks incredulous. “You didn't-”_ _ _ _

____“Uh.” Chit Sang nudges Sokka and he turns to glare at him._ _ _ _

____“What!”_ _ _ _

____“I think your girlfriend is taking care of it.”_ _ _ _

____Sokka is about to ask him “what girlfriend?” when he gestures out across the crowd and- Suki is using the heads of the prisoners as stepping stones and making her way across the yard like it's nothing. And then scaling the tower, again like it's nothing. They all start to follow (not scaling the tower, because they're not all freaking ninjas, but running up the stairs), and by the time they catch up, Suki has taken out most of the guards and has the Warden as a prisoner._ _ _ _

____“That's some girl,” Hakoda pants, leaning against a rail for a moment to try and catch his breath._ _ _ _

____“Tell me about it.” Sokka is panting almost as hard as his father, but honestly he's so proud to know Suki right now. She's so bad ass._ _ _ _

____Zuko, standing beside him, gets a sour expression on his face, but says nothing._ _ _ _

____Sokka straightens, sparing a glance for the Omega to make sure that he's okay. He's going to have to have a talk with Zuko once they get out of here, ask him what's been bothering him, but right now they have other priorities._ _ _ _

____“We're almost there,” he tells the others. “This way!”_ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been pretty much the shittiest week of my entire life, but it's nice to know that A:TLA and Zukka will always be there for me.


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chance to say no,” he whispers, even though his Alpha brain is telling him to claim the lovely, perfect Omega now, right now, before he has a chance to back out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a particularly hard chapter for me because I'm vaguely asexual so? I tried?
> 
> Also I cannot for the life of me figure out how to italicize things.

Sokka breathes a sigh of relief as the prison island fades into the distance. Now they just a few hours of flying to get back to the Temple and everyone will be safe again.

Suki sidles up to him and loops her arm through his, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Thanks for saving me, Sokka.”

He snorts and shakes his head, giving her a fond look. She smells faintly of pine. “You did most of the actual work. You saved yourself.”

“But you came up with the plan,” she counters, rubbing her cheek against his shirt. “You're the real hero.”

Before he can reply, the bitter-sour smell of upset Omega hits his nose, but it's not coming from Suki. He turns his head just in time to see Zuko spinning on his heel and leaving the bridge where they've all gathered. He slips out of Suki's grasp, following him on pure instinct (Zuko's too pretty and perfect to smell like that, he has to comfort him, has to find out what's wrong and how he can fix it), but someone stops him with an outstretched arm before he can actually leave. He starts to growl at the interloper who is keeping him from Zuko, but quickly cuts it off when he registers the arm as belonging to his dad. He blinks and gapes up at him, shocked at his actions. He has never growled at his dad, at least not since they used to play at hunter in the snow together when he was a little kid.

“I-I'm so sorry,” he apologizes quickly, taking a step away from his dad. “I didn't mean to- I have no idea why I just did that.”

Hakoda looks troubled, his forehead wrinkling in a frown. “I think we need to talk, son.”

“Um. Yes. Okay. Can I check on Zuko first? I think he's upset.”

“We need to talk _about _Zuko.”__

__Sokka pauses, tilts his head in confusion. “Why? I told you, I trust him. He's not going to betray us.”_ _

__Behind them, he can hear Chit Sang laughing quietly, but he's more focused on his dad, who is shaking his head. “It's not about that. I can tell that he's a trustworthy person. It's something else, something we're going to talk about in private.”_ _

__“Okay,” he agrees immediately because his dad has his “serious talk time” voice on, and that always means something important. Hakoda walks off of the bridge and Sokka follows him to a secluded niche._ _

__His dad sighs, leans against the wall of the zeppelin and tilts his head back, gathering his thoughts._ _

__“So what's up?” Sokka prompts after a few silent moments._ _

__Hakoda sighs again. “So. Zuko.”_ _

__“What about him?” he asks warily. He's feeling a little cornered, and it's kind of frustrating that he doesn't even know what he's being cornered about._ _

__“Are you two…” Hakoda makes a face and pinches the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “What I mean to say is-” he stops, sighs, and squares his shoulders like he's about to face an oncoming enemy. “Are you aware that you're courting Zuko?”_ _

__Sokka's first instinct is to laugh. Only the laughter doesn't come out and he just sort of… stares at his dad, and his dad stares back, his expression completely serious. And suddenly he's remembering (with painful clarity) how he's been acting around Zuko since he first smelt him. He's been clingy, overprotective, and highly possessive. He's been making sure that Zuko is eating, has been spending a lot of time hovering around him, has made sure that he's getting enough sleep and that he's always safe and happy._ _

__Oh, Spirits. He's been courting Zuko._ _

__“Shit,” he groans, leaning back against the wall of the airship, eyes wide and knees suddenly weak. “Oh, _shit _.”___ _

____Sokka is going to die of embarrassment. The fact that his dad had to… and he hasn't even gotten to the “freaking out about courting the Fire Nation Prince” part of this whole thing yet (though he knows that that will come later)._ _ _ _

____“It's perfectly fine,” Hakoda says and he pats Sokka's arm rather awkwardly. “Normal, even. I didn't realize that I was courting your mother until she confronted me about it. Actually, I'm surprised that he hasn't talked to you.”_ _ _ _

____“Zuko had a weird upbringing,” Sokka mutters, bringing his hand up to tug absently at his wolf's tail. “Far as I can tell, his dad told him that being an Omega is a bad thing and that he should be ashamed of it. He probably doesn't know what's happening anymore than I do- did.”_ _ _ _

____“Ah.” Hakoda looks troubled. “That's unfortunate. Well, I suppose you'll have to explain things to him, then. Even if he doesn't know what he's doing, he appears to be responding positively to your courting. He seems quite attached to you already.”_ _ _ _

____“He was upset that Suki was spreading her scent on me,” Sokka breathes, realization hitting him like a punch in the gut. His dad nods, and Sokka takes a shaky breath. If Zuko feels _anything _like what he felt when the Omega came back smelling like he did when he and Aang went to visit the Sun Warriors… no, it must be _worse _, because now Sokka smells like another Omega, someone that Zuko has _clearly _already decided is a threat, and _shit _._________ _ _ _

____________“I have to apologize,” he decides, pushing off of the wall. “I have to apologize and then-” shit, and then what? Make an effort to stop courting him? Ask his permission to court him?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“You should apologize,” his dad agrees, nodding his head slowly. “But I think before that, you should bathe and make an effort not to smell like another Omega, especially if you'd like to continue to pursue him.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Right.” He nods in agreement, because that's logical, of course, then glances up to meet his dad's eyes. “So you're… you'd be okay with me continuing to…?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Hakoda smiles and claps him on the shoulder (he seems glad to be moving on to something slightly less awkward). “Zuko seems like a trustworthy person. And I trust your judgment, son. If you think that he's the Omega for you, then I'll support you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________* * *_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Sokka decides to give Zuko some space until they reach the Temple. He also avoids Suki, and he feels kind of bad about that, but he'll explain later. Right now his main concern is not smelling more like her and being around her would be kind of counterproductive._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The ride back seems to take _forever _, and he's the first person off of the zeppelin when they anchor it alongside the temple landing. There is a brief moment of happy reunion between him, Katara, and their dad, but then Zuko stalks off of the ship and he doesn't look at Sokka, doesn't even look up from the ground, and he smells so upset that his dad has to hold him back again so he doesn't tackle him. Zuko doesn't seem to notice that Sokka is straining to get to him, and he disappears into the Temple.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Go wash up,” his dad encourages gently, letting him go only when he stops tugging against his restraining grip. Sokka nods quickly and darts off towards the baths._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Use the unscented soap!” Katara calls after him. “And make sure to get your neck!” And it's both really embarrassing that she knows what's going on, and also really nice because he doesn't have to awkwardly explain things to her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________He cleans himself as quickly (and thoroughly) as he can in the bath (he's in such a hurry that he has to use cold water which he promises himself he will never ever do again), even changes his clothes and tosses the old ones in a corner where they'll sit until he has time to scrub the smell out of them. He gives himself a quick sniff check before he leaves the room, trying to see if he can detect any hint of Suki on him (nothing, of course), and then he sets out in search of Zuko._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________The Omega is surprisingly hard to find. Sokka checks his room, checks all of his usual hiding places, but he's not there. He tries to sniff him out next, but it's surprisingly difficult. There are so many new smells wafting through the air because of their little group's new arrivals, and Zuko seems to be hiding his scent still. It takes what feels like forever, but he finally manages to catch a hint of honey-and-fire (laced through with bitter notes of distress that set Sokka's Alpha senses on high alert). He starts off in the direction of the scent, nose lifted in the air and eyes falling nearly closed as he concentrates on following the faint trail._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________He finds Zuko in a room deep in the temple, practicing his firebending forms. His swords lie off to one side, discarded carelessly in a way that doesn't seem like Zuko at all. Sokka lingers in the doorway, staying quiet and observing him, a frown creasing his forehead. The Omega is shining with sweat, panting a little, his fire coming out in weak bursts, but he doesn't show any sign of stopping anytime soon. He looks completely exhausted and worn down, and he's still wearing the maroon prison uniform, so he's obviously been here practicing since he stalked off when they arrived. And Sokka still can't smell him, which is pretty concerning considering how he usually smells about ten times stronger when he's been sweating and seriously how does he even do that?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Zuko?” he says gently, stepping forward into the room and out of the shadows of the doorway. Zuko, halfway through a form, makes a shocked noise, trips over his own feet, and starts to tip over. Sokka is by his side in an instant, one arm looped under his armpit and around his back and the other gripping his shoulder to steady him. Zuko falls into him, and his body is stiff and unyielding in his arms for a moment, and then he inhales audibly and just kind of… goes all limp and noodle-y against him, making a soft, confused noise._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“...Zuko?” Sokka says again, voice soft and cautious. He has no idea what's wrong (and he still can't smell Zuko, dammit) but he knows he has to help fix it, whatever it is. “Zuko, what's wrong?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Zuko kind of just whimpers in reply, which really isn't what Sokka is looking for. He shifts the Omega around in his arms until he's sort of cradling him against his side, and the hand that was supporting his shoulder is free for him to tap gently at the bottom of Zuko's chin to encourage him to meet his eyes. When that doesn't work, Sokka gets a firm grip on his jaw and encourages him with a little more force. Zuko slowly tips his head up and meets his eyes, but his gaze is unfocused and he looks flushed and kind of ill, and he still isn't telling Sokka what's wrong, which means he can't help, and that's seriously frustrating and needs to stop._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Zuko,” he says more firmly, and he smooths his thumb over Zuko's jawline. He holds back a growl of frustration when he still doesn't respond with actual words and decides that enough is enough. He's over trying to be delicate to preserve Zuko's feelings because if he's as sick as he looks, he needs attention immediately._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Omega,” he says sternly, his voice thrumming with Alpha power that he so rarely uses. Zuko twitches in his arms and his eyes fix on Sokka and finally focus, and he breathes an internal sigh of relief. “Omega, tell me what's wrong.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Zuko's lips part (pretty, so pretty and pink and soft and now is definitely not the time to notice that) and he draws in a sharp breath. One of his hands comes up to clench at Sokka's shirt, fingers curling loosely into the fabric. “I'm really… hot,” he whispers, his voice dry and cracking. “I need… I need...” He seems to be grasping for the words, but nothing comes, and he wrinkles his nose and makes a frustrated noise that sounds almost like a sob._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“What do you need, Omega?” Sokka asks, voice gentling, but still full of Alpha command. “Tell me so I can help you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“I don't know!” Zuko squeezes his eyes shut, and if Sokka didn't know any better he'd say that he looks like he's trying not to cry. “I'm so hot and I, I can't think clearly. I don't know what I need, Sokka!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Shhh,” he soothes, letting go of Zuko's face to run a hand through his hair, lifting the sweat-soaked strands from his forehead in an attempt to get him a little relief, and also to check his temperature. Fire benders always run hot, but Sokka knows enough to know that Zuko is exceptionally hot right now, even for one of them. “I think you might have a fever. Let's get you to the bath, okay? That'll help cool you down a little.” He hugs Zuko closer (and it really is kind of just a hug at this point, albeit a hug that Zuko is using to continue to stand) and nuzzles at his temple, trying to calm him down a little before he tries to move them anywhere._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Please,” Zuko whispers, and those are definitely tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. “Spirits, Sokka, please. I feel like I'm burning all over, I can't-” he stops, shudders, and burrows his face into the fabric of Sokka's shirt, his fingers gripping tight at the hem of it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“It's gonna be okay, Zuko.” Sokka holds him close, rests his cheek against the top of his head. “I'm going to take care of you.” He tightens his grip around Zuko's shoulders, then slips his other arm under his knees and scoops him up in one smooth motion. The Omega curls up against his chest, face still pressed into his shirt, and Sokka can feel the heat of his skin through the fabric. “Let's go get you cooled down some,” he murmurs._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Zuko is shockingly light, and it takes almost no effort for him to carry him out of the room and towards the bath. The walk is quiet, punctuated only by Sokka's footsteps and Zuko's shallow panting. Sokka is growing increasingly worried about the Omega's condition, but he's sure that he can fix him if he can just figure out what the hell is wrong with him, which would be about a thousand times easier if he could smell him. He's hoping that the bath will relax him enough to get him to let his guard down and start smelling like himself again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________The bath room is, thankfully, empty when they arrive. Sokka kicks the door firmly shut behind himself and shuffles over to one of the sunken tubs, then pauses, unsure about what to do next. Should he set Zuko down to start the bath? He doesn't really like that option, but there don't seem to be many other ones._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Okay,” he mutters, shifting his stance. “Okay,” he repeats, a little louder. “Zuko? I'm going to set you down so I can get the bath started.” He carefully lets Zuko's legs slip from his grip and drop to the floor, guiding him to the low edge of the tub. He's about to let go of him completely and step away when the Omega makes a panicked noise and latches onto his shirt again, eyes wide and disoriented._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Wha…. Sokka, don't leave me, please, I'm so, so hot-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Sokka drops to his knees beside him, cupping his cheek and stroking his face soothingly with the tips of his fingers. “Hey, shh, it's okay. I'm not leaving. I just need to start the bath for you.” Zuko doesn't look even slightly reassured and he has a death grip on Sokka's shirt, and he can feel his fingers trembling (with fever or anxiousness, he's not sure which). He swears internally, because now what is he supposed to do? If he can't even put the Omega down for a second without him freaking out…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________And suddenly Sokka remembers when he was four years old and scared of the ice storm going on outside their igloo, and how his mom had switched out the shirts she'd been wearing and thrown the old one over his head so that he could smell her all around him (since, at the time, the smell of Omega parent was the most comforting thing to him), and how quickly he'd calmed down and he wonders…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________He gently pries Zuko's fingers away from his shirt and slips it off, then drapes the fabric over the Omega's head. He makes sure to drape it around Zuko's neck and pile it up high so that it's right under his nose, right where he can smell Sokka's (hopefully) calming Alpha scent._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________It works almost instantly. Zuko looks bewildered for a second, then inhales sharply and relaxes, shoulders untensing and eyes falling shut. He brings a hand up to press against the fabric and pushes it up higher, closer to his nose, scenting it and letting out deep breaths. Sokka grins and moves quietly away to start up the water, keeping half an eye on the Omega._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________As he runs the water out of the tap (thank you, scientifically advanced former Air Nomad inhabitants, for your excellent plumbing), he tries to remember everything Gran Gran used to do for him and Katara when they were running fevers. He remembers one particularly bad winter when Katara was about eleven, when she was running a high fever and needed to cool down or be in danger of dying. 'Cold will kill just as fast as hot,' Gran Gran had said as Sokka helped lug in huge buckets of snow. She'd heated the water to a lukewarm temperature,he remembers. It takes him a few minutes, but eventually he gets a temperature that he's pretty sure is close enough._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________And now for the awkward part. The taking-Zuko's-clothes-off-so-he-can-bathe-while-Sokka-watches part. Sokka steels himself and tries very hard to think unsexy thoughts. It definitely helps that he (still!) can't smell the Omega._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Bath's ready,” he says as cheerfully as he can manage. “You'll need to get undressed now.” He sidles back over to Zuko, hovering over him in case he needs help._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________He honestly kind of expects Zuko to balk at the order, especially considering what almost happened the last time they were in the bath area together. He does pretty much the opposite though, and starts to shuck his clothes off like they're burning him. They probably aren't helping with that whole 'really hot' thing he's got going on, come to think of it, and then of course Sokka thought it was a good idea to throw another shirt on top of him (and Zuko is still holding a corner of it under his nose, and Sokka kind of wants to coo at how cute that is, but refrains). Point is, if the poor guy wasn't burning up before, he certainly is now. So yeah, it's kind of understandable that he strips as fast as he does. He's so fast about it, actually, that Sokka barely has time to turn around and give the guy some privacy when he starts to shed his undergarments. He's pretty sure that his face is as red as Zuko's shirt by the time he hears the fire bender slipping into the tub and he feels it's safe enough to turn around._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Except, oh. Zuko is kind of just… looking at him. He's sunk down far enough into the water that he's only dry from the mouth up, and he's very obviously staring at Sokka. Well, sort of. His eyes are moving rapidly, flickering back and forth between his face and (he can feel the blush in the tips of his ears now) his bare chest. He looks seriously hungry, like he kind of just wants to bite into Sokka's chest which is- Sokka literally cannot blush anymore than he currently is, and all of the blood that isn't busy in his cheeks rushes to his cock and he-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Okay!” he says quickly, and with maybe just a bit too much enthusiasm. “So we should definitely get your hair wet, because it'll help cool you off faster!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Zuko is still just staring at him, like he's waiting, and hey, Sokka needs to do something to distract himself anyways (naked Zuko, naked Zuko!) so he scrambles over to the head of the tub and dips his hands into the water and starts scooping handfuls of it over Zuko's head. The Omega makes a humming noise and leans back towards him and he kind of ends up just massaging his wet fingers through Zuko's silky black hair. He makes another soft noise, tilting his head up and back and out of the water, his eyes fluttering shut, and he looks blissfully content. Sokka beams at his expression and digs his fingers in a little harder, rubbing smooth, circular patterns over Zuko's scalp._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________The fire bender goes all liquid-y in the water and parts his lips to let out a little sighing moan, and suddenly Sokka can smell him again, and it's- _wow _.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________His scent is much stronger and wilder than it has ever been before. It's like a punch in the- well, whatever you punch to get Alpha instincts going into insane overdrive, those secret, hidden ones that tell Sokka to _matebreedclaim _, because Zuko is in _heat _._____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Sokka jerks his hands away from Zuko's skin, rocking back on his heels, but he can't bring himself to move any further away from him, even though he knows he needs to get some space between them. Actually, what he really needs to do is leave the room and go find Aang or Suki to help Zuko get dressed and figure out a way to help him with his heat. Sokka, as an unmated Alpha, should most definitely not be the one caring for an unmated Omega in heat. He knows that, he does, but knowing doesn't help with the actual doing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Zuko finally seems to realize that his hands are not coming back and turns a little in the bath to look behind him. “Sokka…?” His voice is soft, confused, and he smells like literal heaven on earth, and Sokka _wants _, and suddenly he's moving, pressing against the hard edge of the tub and against the Omega's upper back, squishing his face into the crook of his neck and inhaling deeply. Zuko makes a purring noise and melts back against him, and yeah, Sokka could really get down with this. He feels, surprisingly, much calmer like this, as if being near Zuko helps clear his head. He inhales again, gets a noseful of heat-scent, and focuses on what needs to be done.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Zuko,” he mutters, nosing up behind his ear, his hot breath washing over the pale skin, and Zuko shudders. “Zuko, listen. You're in heat, that's why you feel like this.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________The Omega's scent turns a little sour, and he can practically feel him frowning. “Nuh- no. I can't be in heat, I take suppressants.” Sokka frowns too at that and mouths gently at his earlobe._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“You're in heat. Trust me, I can tell.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Zuko starts to protest again, so Sokka drops his head and bites (gently) at the spot where his scent is strongest, where his neck and shoulder meet, catching the gland between his teeth. Zuko's spine goes stiff, then he moans and twitches and the thick, rich scent of Omega slick fills the air. Sokka's hands twitch, wanting to grab at Zuko and just take, but-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“You're in heat,” he repeats firmly, soothing the bite mark with a swipe of his tongue, grounding himself in the action. “I couldn't tell before because you were hiding your scent, and I've- I mean, I've never paid that kind of attention to and Omega before you, so.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“R-really?” Zuko pants, sounding incredibly pleased. “You've never been with an Omega before?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“I've never been with _anyone _before,” Sokka mumbles against his skin, and any other time he would be embarrassed about admitting that, but not now, not here, not like this. “And, while we’re on that subject, I've apparently been courting you and neither of us has realized it.”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________“Courting?” Zuko sounds confused, but mostly he sounds distracted. He's moving restlessly in the bath, his body twitching, and the smell of slick is getting stronger with every brush of Sokka's skin against his own._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________Sokka is also feeling very distracted, so it's not really his fault when his reply is less than it should be. He can explain better later, he supposes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________“Yeah, courting. I want you to be my mate-” and Zuko moans at that, reaching back with one hand to grasp uselessly at Sokka's shoulder. “Spirits, you'd be the perfect mate, Zuko, and now you're in heat and I want you so fucking bad-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________“Then take me,” the Omega rasps, voice full of desperation and eagerness. “Take me, Sokka, please, I'm so hot, I _need _you!”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________“Shit.” Sokka groans and circles an arm around Zuko's bare chest. “Shit, I- yeah, okay. Okay. But I'm gonna wait to give the mating bite until you're not in heat, alright?” He almost says that he'll refrain from knotting him too, except that his brain supplies the useful memory of Zuko saying that he's on suppressants. Anyways, knotting an Omega is the best and quickest way to help them get out of a heat, right? He thinks he remembers someone saying that at some point._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________Zuko turns suddenly, water splashing over the side of the tub and soaking Sokka's pants. He yelps in surprise, but before he can do more than that the Omega's mouth covers his in a frantic, messy kiss. It's clear that he doesn't have much experience with kissing, but it's so hot and needy and _perfect _that Sokka really can't find it in him to care. Before he even really realizes what's happening he's got his arms around Zuko, wrapping him in a tight embrace and dragging him closer, closer, until he's sliding out of the bath and into Sokka's lap in all of his soaking, naked glory. Zuko opens his mouth against Sokka's and moans, breathless and eager, and he reaches up and tangles a hand in the Omega's hair, gets a firm grip on the silky strands as he slips his tongue into his mouth, claiming it as his own. The firebender shifts down against him and Sokka is suddenly aware of how achingly hard his cock has become, and when Zuko shifts again and he's suddenly pressed between his slick cheeks he just about loses it.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________He tears his mouth away from Zuko's, using his grip on him to still his restless shifting, to stop him from grinding down in his lap so he can think with his brain instead of his penis. “Okay, wait, Zuko, shit, hang on a second. We gotta- we gotta think about this.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________“No,” Zuko- well, he growls, and yeah, that's kind of incredibly hot and any kind of composure that Sokka has managed to gather in the past minute is slowly draining away. The Omega captures his mouth again in a searing kiss, panting and licking into his mouth with the kind of ferocity that he usually only displays when he's fighting. When he pulls back, his gaze is so intense that Sokka almost flinches away. “No,” he repeats, voice firm and stupidly raspy. “I don't want to think, Sokka. I think all the time, and now I don't wanna. I want-” he stutters to a stop, ducking his head a little and looking flustered, “I, I want you to f-fuck me. Right here, on the floor. Please.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________And honestly, how can Sokka say no to that? (The answer is he can't. There is literally nothing that could stop him from obeying his sweet little Omega's request now. The Temple could start falling apart around them and he'd still do it.)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________After a few moments of frantic scrambling about, Sokka lays Zuko down in a hastily constructed nest of towels and the fire bender's discarded clothes. Zuko makes a pleased little noise, wiggling his damp body against the soft materials, covering them in his scent. Sokka just watches him, sitting back on his heels and trying not to drool or something equally weird and embarrassing. Finally, the Omega seems satisfied with the temporary nest and motions for Sokka to come closer and join him, which he does in an instant, sliding forward and covering Zuko's body with his own and nuzzling into the crook of his neck._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________Zuko makes another quiet, pleased noise and places his hands on the top of Sokka's head, curling his fingers into his hair. “C'mon, please, need you Alpha. Take your pants off and fuck me.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________Sokka shudders and lifts himself up, scooting back until he's straddling Zuko's legs. Zuko tracks his movements with dark, hungry eyes, panting. Sokka hesitates for only a moment before he places his hands on Zuko's hips, smoothing his thumbs over the curve of his hipbones. When the Omega doesn't protest (he actually shifts his hips into the touch, so the opposite of protesting, really) he slides his hands down his pale thighs, tracing his fingers over unblemished skin, and then he feels the first traces of Zuko's slick, warm and wet against his fingertips, and Zuko whimpers as he nears his hole._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________It's an easy thing, sliding two fingers (two!) into Zuko's soaking hole. The Omega takes them eagerly, hips twitching and twisting into the contact, the relief of finally having something, anything, inside of him clearly overwhelming. Sokka presses in slowly, curling his fingers and rubbing at slick soaked walls. Zuko keens softly and fists his hands in the towels, and Sokka scissors his fingers apart. He opens easily, relaxes into the motions, and Sokka adds a third finger and then a fourth and Zuko is still opening for him, growing ever slicker, until it's coating his whole hand. Finally Sokka really can't stand it anymore and he fumbles at the tie holding his pants together with his free hand, keeping Zuko filled with the slick-soaked fingers of his other hand. Zuko whines and clenches down, his eyelashes fluttering against his flushed cheekbones, and he watches Sokka like he's a starving man and Sokka is a platter of his favorite meat._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________Sokka curses and, in a flash, his pants are off and he's bending over Zuko, sliding his fingers out and pressing the tip of his achingly hard cock against Zuko's hole. The Omega is trembling underneath him (not afraid, _needy _, he can smell it on him), and he's staring up at Sokka, just waiting for him. He takes a breath and cards his fingers (the dry ones) through the Omega's hair.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________“Last chance to say no,” he whispers, even though his Alpha brain is telling him to claim the lovely, perfect Omega now, right now, before he has a chance to back out._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________Zuko shudders and leans into the touch, closes his eyes and breathes in deeply through the mouth. When he opens his eyes again he looks a little calmer, a little less heat-crazed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________“ 'M sure. Want you, Sokka.” And he leans up and presses a kiss to Sokka's mouth, so tender and soft and hesitant that Sokka's heart nearly breaks from it. He runs his fingers over his scalp, cups the back of his neck and holds him there, keeps kissing him, just a gentle, chaste press of lips. Zuko sighs against his mouth and relaxes and Sokka slips inside of him with an easy thrust of his hips._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________They fit together like they were made for each other, and when Zuko moans into his mouth and arches into him Sokka almost comes before they've even started. He manages to stop himself from teetering over the brink, manages to ground himself in the knowledge that he has to give Zuko what he needs first, and starts to thrust._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________It's slow, cautious going at first, because he refuses to hurt the precious Omega under him, but gradually it becomes easier, with Zuko urging him on and moaning, grinding into his thrusts. Sokka kisses him softly, or as softly as he can manage under the circumstances, and when Zuko becomes so overwhelmed by pleasure that he can't do anything but pant against his mouth, he busies himself with kissing every inch of his lovely pale skin that he can reach. There isn't a single mark marring the surface of that perfect skin, so he makes marks of his own, stakes out his territory with a necklace of dark bruises, and Zuko loves it, he tells him so, babbling out his pleasure, tipping his head back and whining, high and desperate, when he leaves a mark beneath the scent gland on his neck, and he comes between them in weak, hot spurts of sticky fluid._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________His body clenches tight around Sokka as he comes, and some instinctive part of his brain tells him what to do, tells him to shove in deep, deeper than he's gone before, just in time for the knot to begin swelling at the base of his cock, locking them together. Sokka ruts into him, thrusting until they're tied so tightly that he can hardly move. Zuko sobs and clenches tighter, on purpose this time, and Sokka is shooting off inside him, filling him to the brim with his come. He growls viciously, possessively, and he wants so badly to bite Zuko and lay permanent claim to him, but he can't, he promised he wouldn't, so instead he ruts against him, pushing his come deeper into him to make sure that he's well bred and won't be able to help getting pregnant with Sokka's child (which is impossible, obviously, since he's on Omega suppressants which also function as birth control, but his Alpha brain doesn't really care about that little detail.)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________Sokka covers Zuko's body with his own, rubbing into him and pressing close, and part of him hopes that his knot never goes down so they can stay like this forever. Zuko seems to share his sentiment because he wraps his arms around Sokka's shoulders and hooks his ankles around the backs of his knees and yes, this is perfect, just lying here like this. He can protect Zuko like this and now there's no way that anyone will look at him and want to take him away._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________He's not sure how long they lay there like that, wrapped up in one another. Long enough for Zuko to grow hard again and begin squirming underneath him, but not long enough for his knot to have gone down. He's just about to start fucking him again, tied together or not, when the door or the bath room opens with a bang and Sokka whips his head up and growls at the intruder, all feral and panicked rage (because how _dare _someone intrude on him and his mate, and how is he supposed to rip the interloper to shreds when he's still tied to his little Omega?).___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________A sharp burst of familiar Beta scent tells him who is standing there before he really even sees him, and he only gets a quick glimpse of Aang before he yelps in shock and slams the door shut. Sokka can hear him racing down the hallway, running from their makeshift den (as he should be, his inner Alpha preens)._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________Zuko, under him, laughs (all raspy and full of affection) and tightens his hold on him. “Ah, fuck, Sokka.” And his voice is rough with arousal and heat. “Shit. It's so _hot _when you growl like that. Fuck me, _please _.”_____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________Sokka grins and kisses him and obliges._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd just like to add that Zuko and Sokka do think more clearly when Zuko is in heat and they're touching. It has something to do with how Sokka is an Alpha who is going to be giving Zuko what he needs and biology and stuff.

**Author's Note:**

> I thrive on your long ass comments. They feed my ego and you should never stop.


End file.
